People who have a regular, long ride to work requiring driving or becoming a passenger in a car may unknowingly put their health at risk.
A recent report from the University of California, Riverside reveals that there are potentially harmful levels of a chemical in the foam that suppliers use to lining specific car seats that specialists claim can cause cancer.
Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, also classified as "chlorinated tris" or TDCIPP, is a hazardous chemical.
TDCIPP appears on the Proposition 65 list that the Office of Public Quality Threat Evaluation of California concerns. The list documents chemicals that, including congenital disabilities, can trigger cancer and perhaps other health problems.
While TDCIPP is a known carcinogen, many firms still use it as a flame retardant in the padding that mats car seats, especially in the automotive industry.
The research, published in the journal Environment International, indicates that citizens are subjected to hazardous chemicals through lengthy travel times in the vehicle.
Possible Effect on Fertility
TDCIPP and related chemicals may negatively affect health since 2011. Such claims have been researched by associate professor David Volz and his colleagues.
Nevertheless, the researchers were astounded to figure out exactly how harmful to individuals the TDCIPP current in car seats may be.
In the present analysis, the researchers discovered that the chemical prevented their natural growth when they subjected zebrafish embryos to TDCIPP.
This result is compatible with previous research, which established a clear correlation between TDCIPP sensitivity and concerns with fertility that prompted individuals to attempt in vitro fertilization.
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Series of Unexpected Results
The researchers wanted to check whether people would become exposed to potentially harmful TDCIPP concentrations through their car seats on their commutes to expand on this evidence.
They selected 88 participants from among the students at the University of California, Riverside.
All the researchers had to travel every day for their research. Their round trip periods varied from less than 15 minutes to more than 2 hours a day.
The researchers requested the participants wear silicone wristbands to figure out if they were subjected to a large amount of the carcinogenic material.
As the investigators demonstrate, the explanation behind this is that silicone captures airborne molecules. In reality, TDCIPP does not attach to the foam in the seat, and molecules of this material will become "unstuck" in time and float about freely. There is, thus, a serious risk of individuals inhaling them.
The researchers questioned the participants for five days to wear the silicone wristbands. They checked them to see if they had captured any TDCIPP molecules and related compounds.
Just TDCIPP ended up sticking in large numbers to the wristbands. Co-author Aalekyha Reddam states that the longer you spend in your car, TDCIPP sensitivity is more remarkable.
The team may have had to gather and examine urine samples to determine whether the chemical had reached the volunteers' bodies. Although they did not do this, they think it is very possible that people ended up inhaling TDCIPP as well.
Researchers believe it existed regardless of how complicated it is to eliminate dust absorption and inhalation, Volz states.
For now, the researchers recommend that car owners regularly clean their cars and strictly obey the recommendations on limiting exposure to flame retardant chemicals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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